19 January 2016

Pope Francis again, I'm afraid.

Like most readers, I rarely or never feel quite sure what our Holy Father actually means. Added to this is our natural inclination to treat with respect whatever a Roman Pontiff says (even when he speaks in a low Magisterial register). Accordingly, I am unwilling to join in the widespread criticisms of statements like his homily yesterday (Monday), in which he spoke about accepting new teaching, or 'surprises', from the Holy Spirit, 'new wine', and such things.

But I will remind you of something which we know we are bound to believe because it is the dogmatic teaching of an Ecumenical Council (Vatican I), worded with clarity.

"The Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter so that, by his revelation, they might reveal new teaching, BUTso that, by his assistance, they might devoutly guard and faithfully set forth the revelation handed down through the Apostles, or in other words, the Deposit of the Faith."

If Pope Francis, or any pope, were ever to teach contrary to that doctrinal statement, he would beteaching heresy. A pope is as subject to Catholic Doctrine as I am and you are.

It is therefore the duty of each of us to gloss his words with such a hermeneutic as to be able to read them as being not contrary to what was taught by Vatican I.

20 comments:

Pope Francis says we mustn’t do things because “it’s always been done that way… habits must be renewed in the newness of the Spirit, in the surprises of God”. He’s made me understand that I’m in a rut so here’s a few (late) New Years Resolutions: I’ll stop going to Mass and Confession, and believing in Jesus. I’ll cancel my regular payments to the parish – I mean, “standing order!” it’s got repetitive, sinful obstinacy written all over it. I’ll stop boringly looking after my sick mother and I’ll stop going to work every day so I can buy food and pay my taxes. One good thing, though. The “wineskins” in my fridge never get much chance to get old so I’m in the clear there!

Is that which Pope Francis is setting forth by way of his public teaching 'new teaching' or new revelation? While I agree we have a duty to gloss Francis words in the best possible light, to my mind we have a concomitant and equally grave duty to hold those words up to The Light in order to discern, for our own soul's sake, whether these teachings are consonant with the infallible teaching of the Catholic Church and the Sacred Scripture.

I do not believe we must forsake all of our God-given spiritual and mental faculties in order to deny that which is obvious.

I wonder if you, Father, or any other learned soul might be good enough to explain what "The Power of the Keys" (Matthew 16:19) might mean in respect of precisely what it is that a Pope might 'bind' and 'loose' on earth and in heaven.

The teaching of the first Vatican council on this matter seems to me to be an extension of what St. Paul taught in the first chapter of his letter to the Galatians, which incidentally was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw Vatican Radio's quotation of the Holy Father's most recent remarks from the Domus Sanctae Martae.

I am not in the habit of parsing the words of senile prelates. In the case of the Pope's speech on Monday, however, it should be noted that he did make a necessary distinction at the end of his "homily":

"May the Lord grant us the grace of an open heart, of a heart open to the voice of the Spirit, which knows how to discern what should not change, because it is fundamental, from what should change in order to be able to receive the newness of the Spirit.”

If he had begun by making the proper distinctions, perhaps the homily might not have been so controversial. However, he does seem to seize every opportunity he can to sow confusion and discord. Was he a middle child?

I don't know why the new wineskins are always used as argument against tradition (or customs). Nobody seems to bother reading the whole passage. It says there: "No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better." Doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement of new wine to me...

Pope Francis speaks with clarity and precision when it is in regards to climate change. So, why can't he speak clearly on matters of Faith? The latter is intentional. I am not a child, and I will not pretend to be :unsure" of what he is saying. With all due respect to His Holiness, he has the capability to speak plainly at all times, and he often chooses not to do so.

I toyed with the notion of sedevacantism for a while, and I fully agree it is not a logical position. Pope Francis's papacy has pushed me fully to Orthodoxy. I am also not here to pick fights or promote that choice. I'm simply dismayed by the cowardice of Catholic media, the vast majority of clerics and the laity to stand up and halt the madness. The "Spirit of Vatican II" dominates the Church now, and I see no place for myself here.

I must credit Pope Francis with having driven me to re-educate myself on the fundamentals of Catholic dogma and the works of the Fathers of the Church, i.e. back to Denzinger, Ott, et. al.

I also credit Francis' with expanding the width and breadth of my daily prayer intentions appended to my rosary, i.e. conversion of the Jews and Pagans, atheists, the Suffering Souls in Purgatory, the victims of abortion, homosexuals, etc. Were it not for Francis' clamorous silence on these matters I should not have been so keen to remember them specifically.

Fr John Hunwicke

was for nearly three decades at Lancing College; where he taught Latin and Greek language and literature, was Head of Theology, and Assistant Chaplain. He has served three curacies, been a Parish Priest, and Senior Research Fellow at Pusey House in Oxford. Since 2011, he has been in full communion with the See of S Peter. The opinions expressed on this Blog are not asserted as being those of the Magisterium of the Church, but as the writer's opinions as a private individual. Nevertheless, the writer strives, hopes, and prays that the views he expresses are conformable with and supportive of the Magisterium. In this blog, the letters PF stand for Pope Francis.